Greg McKeown (author) Quotes

11 Sourced Quotes

If I didn't already own this, how much would I spend to buy it?

Greg McKeown
Essentialism is not about how to get more things done, it's about how to the get the right things done. It doesn't mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.

Greg McKeown
We overvalue nonessentials like a nicer car or house, or even intangibles like the number of our followers on Twitter or the way we look in our Facebook photos. As a result, we neglect activities that are truly essential, like spending time with our loved ones, or nurturing our spirit, or taking care of our health.

Greg McKeown
There should be no shame in admitting to a mistake; after all, we really are only admitting that we are now wiser than we once were.

Greg McKeown
We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do.

Greg McKeown
Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

Greg McKeown
The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away-it can only be forgotten.

Greg McKeown
Remember that if you don't prioritize your life someone else will.

Greg McKeown
The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality. Somehow we would now be able to have multiple first things.

Greg McKeown
Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second.

Greg McKeown
Play stimulates the parts of the brain involved in both careful, logical reasoning and carefree, unbound exploration.

Greg McKeown